Rwandan refugees not ready to return home

A NUMBER of Rwandans who have sought refuge in Namibia are reluctant to return home, claiming it is not safe.

A group of the refugees interviewed by The Namibian on Friday claimed they feared they would be persecuted by the Kigali government. In September, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Home Affairs Ministry started discussions to pave the way for the repatriation of about 700 Rwandans at the Osire Refugee Camp.The group who spoke to The Namibian said the repatriation was expected to start in June.”There is proof that some people are fleeing Rwanda, yet they want us to go home.Once there, you are in jail or dead.We can’t go when there is a 95 per cent chance of being killed or jailed,” charged one member of the group.They want the repatriation stopped until the United Nations has established that it is safe for everyone to return.They claim that since the talks of possible repatriation started in September, about 600 Rwandan refugees had left the Osire camp and fled Namibia.”They have fled to Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique.People are afraid of going home,” a member of the group said.Countries like Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Burundi and the Congo Republic have experienced similar opposition from the Rwandan refugees not wanting to return home.In September, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Home Affairs Ministry started discussions to pave the way for the repatriation of about 700 Rwandans at the Osire Refugee Camp.The group who spoke to The Namibian said the repatriation was expected to start in June.”There is proof that some people are fleeing Rwanda, yet they want us to go home.Once there, you are in jail or dead.We can’t go when there is a 95 per cent chance of being killed or jailed,” charged one member of the group.They want the repatriation stopped until the United Nations has established that it is safe for everyone to return.They claim that since the talks of possible repatriation started in September, about 600 Rwandan refugees had left the Osire camp and fled Namibia.”They have fled to Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique.People are afraid of going home,” a member of the group said.Countries like Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Burundi and the Congo Republic have experienced similar opposition from the Rwandan refugees not wanting to return home.